Union Jack [The Babys featuring Ricky Phillips]

 

Union Jack
Written by John Waite, Ricky Phillips
Lead Vocals by John Waite

Missin' at school
Bustin' the rules
Hates everything in sight
Needs some new shoes
Dad's on the booze
She's never there
Far away kid
All on his own
Can't tell the wrong from right
Thin as a rake
Tough as a nail tonight
Tonight

Here are your hopes for the future you'll see
If you hang 'round the neck of a loser like me
There's no one else in your life
You don't need anyone
Come with me in the night
I will give you the matches
I will make you complete
Won't you please come with me
I won't ask you again
I can give you the hopes of a younger man
In the night we can hear
I'm your friend and what's more
I will give you what you've been looking for
Yes I can give you what you've been looking for

Should I run
Should I take it
Should I go or should I stay?
Who side am I on in this game that we play
I wanna be somebody someday
Living my life away

And I can't find a job
I can't pay the rent
Police are always breathing down my neck
And there's no way out
There's no way out no more

Under this flag
We're all Union Jacks
And there's no home for the brave
And there's no way back

We are the obeyer
We are the law
In stained boots
And navy blue
Hello hello hello

With fire in my heart and you along beside me
We'll burn down all the schools
That taught us there's nothing better than
To live by all the rules
Made by the ruling classes
So the scales of justice tip
In the favor of the government

Under this flag
We're all Union Jacks
And there's no home for the brave
And there's no way back

We are the obeyer
We are the law
In stained boots
And navy blue
Hello hello hello

With fire in my heart and you along beside me
We'll burn down all the schools
That taught us there's nothing better than
To live by all the rules
Made by the ruling classes
So the scales of justice tip
In the favor of the government

Under this flag
We're all Union Jacks
And there's no home for the brave
And there's no way back
Under this flag
We're all Union Jacks
And there's no home for the brave
And there's no way back

Tonight
Here are your hopes for a future you'll see
You're like me
We're all Union Jacks!

Interpretation

The Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom. 

The stories may be somewhat autobiographical, but they are no doubt descriptive of many kids growing up in the UK.

Missin' at school, bustin' the rules. Hates everything in sight, needs some new shoes.
Dad's on the booze. She's never there. Far away kid. All on his own. Can't tell the wrong from right. 

Thin as a rake. Tough as a nail tonight

Skipping school getting in trouble is not uncommon for many teens, being antiestablishment and mad at the world. A poorer kid with a working class father drunk every night after a long day of work and an absent mother, working nights to make ends meet, is naturally thin from hunger and tough from a rough childhood.

Here are your hopes for the future you'll see, if you hang 'round the neck of a loser like me.
There's no one else in your life, you don't need anyone. 
Come with me in the night, I will give you the matches. I will make you complete.
Won't you please come with me I won't ask you again. I can give you the hopes of a younger man.
In the night we can hear, I'm your friend and what's more, I will give you what you've been looking for.

If you hang out with someone like me, don't expect much for the future (or at least that's what people will tell you). Growing up too fast without much parental support will make you a loner, avoiding forming relationships. Follow me, and "I will give you the matches" so you can light a cigarette or even start a fire (arson), but maybe just a light a fire of hope and desire.  Come with me, and I will give you something to hope for. I will be your friend and more.

Should I run? Should I take it? Should I go or should I stay?
Who side am I on in this game that we play?
I wanna be somebody someday
Living my life away
And I can't find a job. I can't pay the rent. 

Should I go somewhere else for a better life or just continue with life as it is?  Am I still going to skirt the edges of the law or get to be more responsible? I would like to make something more with my life, Right now, I am wasting my life, unable to hold a job or pay bills.

Police are always breathing down my neck, and there's no way out
Under this flag, we're all Union Jacks, and there's no home for the brave, and there's no way back

We are the obeyer. We are the law. In stained boots and navy blue.
With fire in my heart and you along beside me, we'll burn down all the schools that taught us there's nothing better than to live by all the rules made by the ruling classes, so the scales of justice tip in the favor of the government.

My life is rough, with the police always right on my heels. I feel like now I'm trapped in this life. We're not in the U.S. "the home of the brave" (as mentioned in the Star Spangled Banner).  The schools teach obedience to the law, and we're expected to obey. I'd love to burn those schools down, because there's more to life.

Tonight, here are your hopes for a future you'll see. You're like me, we're all Union Jacks!

There's still hope for the future. We're from the UK, and so are many of our fans.